There's something profoundly obscene about the timing. Read more: trump invents negotiations While Iranian missiles rain down on Tel Aviv this Tuesday, Donald Trump parades before cameras discussing "very serious negotiations" with Iran to "end the war." The only snag? Iranian officials have never confirmed the existence of these miraculous talks.
Welcome to Trumpian theater of the absurd, 2026 edition.
Diplomacy by Press Release
Read more: gabbard plays arsonistAccording to the New York Times, this missile barrage represents a major military escalation in a conflict that has already poisoned the region for months. But for Trump, this is apparently the perfect moment to present himself as a peacemaker. Coincidence? We're eight months from the presidential election, and the former president desperately needs to polish his foreign policy credentials.
This "diplomacy" by unilateral declaration isn't new. Trump already tried this trick with North Korea, boasting of an "extraordinary" relationship with Kim Jong-un while multiplying provocations. Result: zero agreements, but plenty of photos and tweets.
The difference today? The stakes are far more serious. Every missile falling on Israel claims real victims, every escalation brings the region closer to total conflagration. Using this tragedy as a campaign prop represents the crassest manipulation.
Iran, Unwitting Partner
The most revealing aspect of this affair is Tehran's silence. If "very serious" negotiations were actually underway, why wouldn't Iranian authorities confirm them? Three hypotheses: either these discussions exist only in Trump's imagination, or they're so embryonic they don't merit mention, or Iran prefers to keep its cards hidden.
In all cases, this reveals Trump's diplomatic amateurism. A real negotiator doesn't reveal his cards mid-game, especially when the other side is firing with both barrels. But Trump isn't a diplomat: he's a communicator who needs to feed the daily media cycle.
This "Twitter first, diplomacy second" approach already showed its limits during his first term. Remember his threats of "fire and fury" against North Korea, followed by declarations of love for Kim Jong-un. Or his unilateral withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal, supposedly to force Tehran to negotiate a "better deal." Result: Iran resumed its nuclear program with renewed vigor.
Biden, Missing in Action
But Trump isn't alone in instrumentalizing this crisis. The Biden administration shines through its deafening silence. Where are the firm declarations? Where is traditional American diplomacy? Washington seems paralyzed, leaving the field open to Trumpian bluster.
This passivity isn't innocent. Biden, mired in his own Middle Eastern contradictions, prefers to let his rival expose himself. Understandable electoral strategy, but irresponsible when the region is ablaze.
The result? A diplomatic vacuum that Trump hastens to fill with his fantasy announcements. The former president becomes de facto the only visible American "interlocutor," even if his supposed interlocutors deny it.
The Real Question
Beyond the media circus, one question remains: what does this sequence reveal about the state of American diplomacy? Is Trump consciously lying or does he actually believe his own declarations? Either way, it's troubling.
If it's calculated lying, this confirms the former president is ready for anything to reconquer power, including playing with international security. If it's self-persuasion, it reveals an even more problematic relationship with reality.
The truth, probably, lies between the two. Trump has always had this unique capacity to transform his desires into alternative reality. He wants to be the president who resolves conflicts, therefore he is the one negotiating peace. Never mind that the other party isn't aware.
This confusion between reality and communication isn't just a personality trait: it's a mode of governance. And if Americans put him back in power, they'll have to assume the consequences of this hallucinatory diplomacy in a world where missiles are very real.
Meanwhile, Tel Aviv residents can always hope that Trump's "very serious negotiations" are more effective than his tweets. But they'd better stay close to the shelters.